FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Self Taught, Open Minded

Her search had gone on much longer than she had hoped, but Saestal knew that she had to be getting close. Years she had been trotting the globe with her trusty companion and insurance policy Kyril, an ex-gladiator gnoll who was in her hire for protection. He took a portion of her haul for any job she completed, but also got to have his way with her when his desire bubbled up. Somewhat inconvenient, but it was a fair trade to her; as a Kobold mage she was exposed to the dangers of the world and needed some muscle to back her up when magic wasn't enough.

Kyril was that muscle, but he had no problems taking what he wanted from her in exchange for his services. Normally, she'd have complained, but he was a surprisingly passionate lover, which was a far cry from his usually brutal demeanor when in aggressive mode. Everything was a tit-for-tat trade-off between the two of them, and she was happy to offer herself to him as long as he reciprocated.

However, her protection was of on a mission in Arrenthen for the queen there. He was serving in her royal guard to protect against avian and saurian invaders, and Saestal had no interest in putting herself into harm's way for a few extra dollars. Instead she would travel abroad to Klyneth - the cultural centerpiece of the world - where she would carry on her research on the history and future of magic. War never came to the borders of Saff-Rald, the nation that housed Klyneth. There, she would be safe to continue her reading.

The carriage she was riding bounced back and forth as the large tires hit tiny rocks and pebbles on the pathway, the glowing gem of her staff illuminating the other side of the room as she focused on the book she was reading; her eyes were better in the dark but she had no problem with a dim glow in the background. She had been in this carriage for hours now, she had to be near her destination. Curious, she peeked out the window to see that she was flanked on either side by three and four story buildings, each made of a combination of red brick, golden wood, and black marble. She was definitely in Klyneth.

"Perfect." she hissed to herself as she closed her book and tossed it into her backpack. Her snout remained close to the window, breath fogging it up as she watched the people and buildings pass by. People of all sizes were on the pathways between the buildings and road, people of all races. There were saurians, avians, felines, canines, equines, primates, and even a few nolse. Truly a cultural focal point where any and all could get together.

Her first stop - and really the last stop for the carriage she was in - was the Klyneth Library. There, she could read any and all books ever published going back up to 600 years. Longer than her life by more than double. The building itself looked more like a coliseum, with tall black marble pillars and an oriental styled curved roof with red brick and clay.

"Alright, we're here." The carriage driver announced as he slid open the door to her personal quarters. It was only a four person vehicle towed by a single horse, but she had bought up the services herself in order to maintain her peace and quiet.

She nodded slowly and tossed him a single jade coin for his troubles - enough to pay him for the trip from Yearnil to Klyneth twice over - before hopping out into the busy walkway.

Saestal was such a tiny little reptile that she disappeared into the crowd of larger anthros of many shapes and sizes. She only came up to the knees of some of the equines and maybe to the thigh of the canines. Closest ones to her size were the felines and avians, and she was still shorter than most of them. The vast difference in size from her to the others made her panic a it, so she clutched her satchel close to her side and hopped up the massive front stairwell of the library to the twin golden-wood doors.

The glaring midday light didn't help, either. Too bright and she got a killer headache, so she was happy and eager to hide from this light.

Inside she smiled and glanced up at the dozens of layers and racks of books. Though math wasn't her strong suit, she was sure there must have been a million in this building. Dozens of rows, each a half dozen layers high, and two floors. To make things even more interesting, the whole building had to be hundreds of meters long, and maybe seventy or eighty meters wide. Absolutely massive building.

She stepped up to the main desk where a series of librarians were each reading. Like an olympic pedestal, the tallest creature and highest desk was in the middle with decreasing sizes on either side to accommodate smaller races such as herself. Saestal hopped up to the smallest of the desks at the end, requiring a foot stool to get high enough to see the feline that was operating the desk.

"Excuse me, I'm wondering where the history and magic sections are? I'm looking for information about the history of magic, and was wondering if you had any books on that specific topic." She put on a wide grin, showing her teeth. Weirdest and most unnatural smile she had ever offered.

The feline flicked her ear and smiled back with a wink. "Sure, to the right here, up on the second floor. Right at the top is an entire section about history, and at the back of that there's a bit about the history of magic. Dozens of books, each chronicling the rise, fall, and cultural impact of magic on each region. Pretty much exactly what you're looking for." She explained. She never took her thumb out of the book she was reading, but seemed genuinely happy to help Saestal out.

"Thank you very much for your help." She turned to walk away, only to have the librarian reach out with a small yellow orb.

"Here, this will help you read. It's kinda grimey out so the windows won't do much to help you read."

Saestal smirked and nodded, but refused the orb. "I read better in the dark, so that's actually good for me. Thanks!" She pushed the feline's hand away with as much politeness as she could before heading up the curved stairs to the second floor.

True to her expectations, the history section was clearly labeled there on the second floor, so she passed through the shelves and eventually found an equally well-labeled subsection about magic history. This library was amazing!

Due to her small stature, she had to take one book at a time, struggling with it to yank it from the shelf before carefully carrying it down the ladder that slid down the cabinets. She hobbled her way to the floor and awkwardly carried it over to the reading station before returning. Back and forth she went, each time grabbing a new book and awkwardly fumbling her way back to the reading area; she ended up with a dozen books stacked high on top of one another before finally decided the had enough.

"Magic Use in the Northern Realms, Magic for Home Making - A History, The Subsets of Magic and Their Origin, Fantastic Spells and Where To Cast Them, Science and Magic, A Complete History of Ademane and the Body." She listed off some of the books she'd grabbed, finishing with the biggest, heaviest one. "A Comprehensive History of Magic; Then, now, and the Future." She wanted to check that one first.

It took all her strength to open that hardcover book, due to it being half as tall as she was. Once inside, she hopped up onto the table next to it and crouched down on her knees, skimming through the table of contents. As she flipped through the pages, she was happy to see maps, timelines, and artist renditions of some of the more rudimentary spells as well as what ademane glands were best to manipulate each type of magic. Just the basics and nothing she didn't know, but the pictures were pretty.

Inside it, she was able to compare notes and maps she had, while also crossing locations off her own list.

She flipped through the massive text books, scanning for any information she could cross reference with her own notes. Saestal had a rather comprehensive list of places she'd been, ruins she'd explored, and what each country and race's different folklore said about the Gods and the birth of magic. As a scholar, she had a deep and profound desire to learn more about what made her magic work and how to amplify it, but she was indeed working hard along the path to discover its source.

More specifically, she was looking for the birthplace of the Gods.

All conventional wisdom told her that the birthplace was here, in Saff'Rald. There was a very tall mountain range to the west, so steep that few could climb it and so tall that even the strongest flyers wouldn't be able to soar to its peaks. There was a plateau there, accessible only by a sheer drop cliff face into Lake Saff'Rald. Most all lore traced back to that location, but it seemed too obvious an answer to her quest, so she kept looking.

Hours she spent in the library, reading, referencing, and crossing off locales from her personal notebook. In the end, she came down to three possible locations for the birthplace of magic, and the source of the Gods. The first and oldest references she could find were in reference to an archipelago in the southwest and southeast wrapping around the globe, all part of the nation of Ijimu. There, a saurian ruler was said to watch over a prehistoric land where volcanoes belched into the sky and the dinosaurs still roamed to this day.

Not likely the source, though. Saestal had been there, met the Guardian of the Saurians, and moved on. She ultimately crossed that off her list.

Next up was a peculiar shallow lake in a valley in the Koluman jungle. There, a series of cottages and huts housed a library comparable to the Klyneth library, and was said to be home to an old wise feline who knew anything and would answer any one question a person would ask. He had been proven to be alive at least as long as Saestal had, even though she actually couldn't remember her exact age (it was a few hundred, at least). She crossed that location out as well, since she had been there and found it to be enthralling and fun, but the wise feline was nowhere to be found.

The final location - and possibly the most obvious one - was here in Saff'Rald. In the mountain plateau known as the Cradle of Dalon. Aptly named, if it was in fact the birthplace of the gods.

It was the only location in the northern hemisphere she hadn't personally investigated, the one place that had almost every story and folklore called out as the birthplace of the magic and the literal birthplace of the Gods. She considered herself more sophisticated than that, and wouldn't allow herself to be tricked into such simple explanations, but all the evidence pointed to that plateau west of Klyneth. As a mage and scientist, she'd be remiss if she didn't accept that, through a sense of deduction, she found that the Cradle was really the only place that it could be.

Once all other places had been crossed out of her notebook, whatever is left, however unbelievable, must be the right place.

With that in mind, she grumpily slammed the text book shut and hopped back off the table to land in a chair. When she looked around, she saw that all the lanterns had been dimmed, and she was alone in the library, with her notebook on her lap and tail flicking around over the edge of the chair. "H-hello?" She called out, but nobody answered. She was alone, lost in the halls of books while the other patrons and workers left; at least that's how it seemed.

She hopped up and glanced down between each row of shelves from one end of the library to the next, not seeing another soul roaming the building. The roof windows that once were used for filling the room with natural light were now dark, showing only pale blue streams of moonlight. For some strange reason, her entire afternoon had disappeared out from under her claws and she couldn't be happier. As a Kobold, she was naturally nocturnal and more energized at night; she could see the words with utter clarity even with only the tiniest rays of light illuminating the room, and the added security of solitude was perfect for her.

Just as she was ready to internally party at the thought of a whole night alone in a library with hundreds of thousands of books, she heard a shuffling noise from above her. As her heart skipped a beat, she glanced up and curled her tail tight between her legs to see a golden yellow beast crawling around on all fours atop the bookshelf. It had fiery feathers, wings upon its back, a long feathered tail, and black highlights at the end of every golden orange feather and tuft of fur. Its green eyes glared down at her, glowing in the dark.

Saestal squeaked a bit and backed away, ready to anticipate a lunging attack by countering it with a blast of magic - textbooks be damned. Only, rather than attack it spoke.

"No need to be worried there, little one. I'm not here to attack you, nor am I planning on eating you." He hissed at her through his partial beak. She looked like a mix of cockatrice, gryphon, and Kobold. Interesting mix, and Saestal couldn't tell if they were male or female, due to their voice straddling the line between masculine and feminine.

Still, she kept her eyes trained on the creepy winged and feathered reptile that crawled its way along the book shelves. "But, what do you want, then?" Inside, she was scared of this much larger creature, but she had to maintain a sense of confidence and strength, so she kept her chest puffed out in a show of dominance.

They grabbed the corner of the book case and flipped down and around, landing next to her while towering above her tiny frame. As they looked down, the smiled and fell to one knee. "I don't want anything from you, but I do want to offer you something. A map to the treasure you seek." They reached around back to grab a tiny rolled up scroll from between his wings, confidently offering it to her.

Naturally, Saestal pulled away from the creature, squinting in the dark. She didn't trust them, but was curious enough to not blow them off. "What exactly do you mean? How do you know me? What are you doing here? Do you expect anything in return?" Her barrage of questions each fell flat, echoing gently off the halls of books.

"That doesn't matter, my friend. All that matters is that I have something you want, a key to unlocking the questions you seek answers to. Here, I will leave this here, and you can take it if you wish. If anyone asks, my name's Satsierra." They winked and gently placed the scroll on the desk between two books. Then, once they stood up, a flash of light cracked through the sky to fill the library with bright whiteness for a blink of an eye. When the light dissipated, Satsierra was gone, leaving only Saestal alone in the dark of the library.

At first she though it was all just an illusion - a powerful magic spell that is rare but plausible in this region - but then when she looked down she saw the scroll still nestled between the books. Her curiosity got the better of her and she excitedly opened it up to see that it was a series of maps of the area. It was a map of Saff'Rald, then what looked like a closer zoom of the western mountain range, then even closer as an illustration showing a series of landmarks and a dotted line.

Best she could tell, it was a step by step map to follow the easiest path into the Cradle. "Satsierra, what is this?" She called out, heart aflutter at the thought of being visited by one of the Gods. Satsierra was known as the Godfather of the skies, which was quite an honor if they were in fact that entity. No answer came - of course not - so she rolled up the scroll, put her notes away, and hurriedly left the library to head out on a trek.

It was night, so she knew she had to go quickly. She slipped through the streets and alleys of Klyneth until she found a stable on the outskirts of town, stealing one of the hoofed creatures that would take her to her destination. It was a gazelle-like creature with long curled horns and a tiny fluffy tail, domesticated for mounts her size. That would take her to where she needed to go at the base of the mountains, and do it at top speed within a few hours.

The sun had only just set, it wasn't even midnight yet, and she had quite a trek ahead of her. She grabbed some mix to munch on before leaving the stables, a little disappointed she didn't take some time to properly thank the horses for not alerting the farmer to her presence. She did give one of the stallions a caress of his sheath, rubbing her finger in the moist opening of it before digging her heels into the sides of her mount to bolt away.

While she galloped away from town, trailing the south border of the KlynWood, she kept her nocturnal eyes peeled for the first of the landmarks on the map: a decrepit old windmill.

Her destination was longer away than she initially expected, taking closer to three or four hours rather than the two she expected. Then again, she was traveling nearly a hundred kilometers west from Klyneth to find what she was looking for.

But, lo and behold, there it was. A stocky, decrepit old windmill, fan blades rotting and falling apart, bricks disintegrating against the weathering of time. Moss was creeping up the side of it, growing rapidly thanks to being next to a small creek. There was also a farm house in an equal state of ruin, but that wasn't relevant to the map so she didn't focus much attention to it.

She reared her mount and got it to slow to a stop after passing over the bridge onto the farmland. Saestal had a decision to make. She could tie it up and come back to it later, or just leave it to wander back home or get lost. If she left it to wander, it'd likely never find its way back home, killed and eaten by wildlife or bandits. If she locked it up here in an overgrown pasture or tied it to a post, she had no idea how long it'd take her to climb to the summit, so it might starve.

Eventually, she settled on the somewhat safer option of keeping it at the abandoned farm. There was one pasture surrounded by wood and wire fences on all corners with a broken down but functional gate near the windmill. She led her mount into the pasture and unhooked its bridle to let it go and roam after giving a gentle smack to its rump. Problem was, the grass and flower stalks were so high that the gazelle thing disappeared into the mess, only to playfully start hopping around inside.

"Good. At least she's happy." Saestal commented to herself as she hung the straps that she used to ride the creature over a fence post. She wiped her hands on her simple leather and fabric shirt before tentatively walking back over to the windmill, idly reaching into her satchel to grab the scroll. When she pulled it open, she got a proper look at the image of the windmill.

On the scroll, it clearly showed that there was a walkway emerging from behind the windmill into the foothills of the mountain up a series of steps. She tried to go around, but there was a bunch of thorny bushes so she decided she'd have to go through instead. The front door of the windmill was barely on its hinges, creaking loudly as she entered. Inside, nothing. Nothing at all aside from another door out back, and a staircase that lined the rounded walls of the building to a second level.

Her treasure hunting instincts urged her to that second floor, but she was planning on returning when she finally came down from the mountain, and it'd still be here. Instead, she quickly slipped out the back door to see that the pathway was surprisingly clear, just over a small bridge that covered the creek that ran behind the windmill. Perfect. She quickly made her way up the path, leaving the farmstead behind her.

The night hike was quite nice for her. Quiet. Alone. A small part of her was worried that some beast would leap out of the shadows to attack her, but it was night time and she felt most comfortable when the sun had set. Her eyes were as good as an owl in low or no light, so few creatures could hope to ambush her, and she had the innate magic inside her to fend off any foes if need be.

Due to her small stature, climbing up the steady incline of the foothills of the mountain wasn't very taxing. Of course, her excitement also was a driving force behind her steady hike. She was so eager to see what was at the top of the mountain that she could have stayed up for days, weeks even. She wasn't exactly the kind who needed crazy amounts of sleep.

Up what seemed like thousands of steps, she finally came to what looked like an altar on a small plateau overlooking the great plains and forest below. It seemed a little cheeky that such a blatant path was here, but beyond the altar there was nothing. No clear path, no steps, no convenient passes through the rising cliffs; that's why she had to once again consult the map.

On it, there was an indication that she needed to climb the cliff face directly behind the altar. Climb straight up onto the next plateau, then go from there. Perfect. She was once again reminded how good it was that she was so small; she could climb up that cliff face with ease and had absolutely no fear of falling. One step after another, she scaled the vertical cliffside, wind whipping at her baggy clothes and loincloth every step of the way until she rolled up and over the ledge of the cliff.

"Well, that was easy." She commented to herself as she brushed her clothes free of dirt and sand. She grabbed the map to see what was next and found that it was pretty simple, really. Just follow the pass forward, before eventually emerging into a glade with a single, massive cellitoke tree. She had to climb that tree, jump off one of the branches to the next plateau, and follow from there. Climbing. So much climbing, but it really was worth it and she wasn't feeling an ounce of fatigue, even if she knew well enough that there was no way she'd be able to make it to the summit without taking a nap. The sun was peeking up over the eastern horizon, so she decided it was time to sleep.

In her travels, she hadn't seen or heard of any animals roaming around the area, so she was confident enough to curl up at the base of the tree and take a little nap.

However, since she was nocturnal and had actually used a lot more energy than she thought she had, that little nap took her right to dusk again, when the sun was diving over the western horizon. She did hear an owl hooting at her to wake her up; when she stirred, she had to shake her head and wipe the sleep from her eyes and relieve herself before carrying on.

She climbed that tree, hopping from one branch to the next, eventually hitting the split in the trunk that bent over the next rocky outcropping. She dug her claws into the bark and ran up its length before hopping off into the air, landing with a thud on the soft grass of the platform. The entire trek was just one climbing endeavor after another, climbing cliffs, climbing trees, slipping between narrow passageways, up a cliff next to a waterfall, each task growing increasingly challenging to overcome, but she followed the map and overcame every obstacle.

Until she hit what looked like the final step to the mountain valley. It was a simple mountain pass with a well-kept pathway, only this time the stairs went down instead of up. Lining either side was a small, knee high rock wall (that actually came up to her chest) with dozens of un-lit lanterns. She was here, she did it. She made it and she would have quite the story to tell when she returned, if she even needed to once she unlocked the secret to unlimited magic!

Saestal stepped slowly through the pass, knowing it was the final step before entering the valley - at least according to the map. She peeked over the ridge to see a massive expanse stretching out in front of her, a perfect crescent moon-shaped valley around the tallest mountain in all of Dalon, illuminated by the cool blue light of the night. Some called it the Spear of the Skies, since it pierced the clouds and presumably stabbed at the heavens. Around it, the Cradle of Dalon, if her navigation was correct.

The birthplace of the Gods, and epicenter of modern magic.

She carried on down the pass between the twin peaks, absorbing as much of the valley as she could, mapping it out in her mind since the actual map she had stopped at the pass. At the base of the stairs, a path cut through a massive forest, leading to what looked like a tiny village wedged between the tree line and the shore of a massive lake. From her vantage point, she could see the lake fed into a river that cascaded over a cliff to wrap around the Spear of the Skies. She couldn't see beyond that, only this side of the tallest peak.

A gentle squeak slowly escaped her lips as she held back a nervous chirp. Her keen eyes didn't deceive her, she was really here, and it was even more...generic than she'd expected. If this was the birthplace of the Gods, where were the temples? The castles? The shrines? Where would she extract magic or gain the power of those before her. Something didn't seem right, it seemed just like a normal settlement in the mountains, a dozen small buildings lining a lake.

No way to be sure of what was there than to sneak in. It was night, no idea if anyone was home, so she'd have to be very, very careful. The trek from pass, through the forest, and to the settlement took another couple hours of steady walking before she finally made it to the edge of the tree line. Every step of the way was on an actual cobblestone walk-way, so her talons were starting to get sore and tired. She needed the softness of soil and grass, so she hopped off the path as soon as she could, just outside the settlement.

Each building was simple, with the same black marble, red brick, and golden wood architecture of Klyneth. Only thing was, each of the dozen or so buildings were a different size, with different features on the outside. As she slipped around to see the front of each building that faced the lake, she saw little indicators above each of the structures.

One said 'Ceylon x Leera'. Another said 'Sanfrit x Yelena', then there was 'Luero x Olfrin', 'Ilorek x Valencia', 'Keran x Satsierra', and finally 'Talba x Vaulix.' She knew many of these names, having encountered them in the past, and that's when it hit her all at one.

Satsierra was the God of the Skies, the one that had given her the map. Talba was the queen of Arrenthen with her king Vaulix. Keran was the wise elder of the Koluman library and another potential place for the birth of the Gods. She didn't immediately recognize the other names aside from their mention in the fables, but she knew what this meant. The Gods were here, in this village, ready to either kill or assimilate her.

Saestal's heart was fluttering with the speed of a hummingbird's wings, her breaths ragged as the adrenaline flowed through her. This was all surreal to her, she was beginning to think she was still sleeping at the foot of the Cellitoke on the way to the summit. She had to pinch her own neck to be sure.

When she didn't wake from that, she shook the disbelief from her mind and pressed her snout to the window of the building with the names of Keran and Satsierra on it. If Satsierra had offered her the map, they wouldn't mind her taking a look.

Inside was pretty simple. Two beds, some shelves with books, and a few things she had never seen before. Tiny images of them - not painted, but looked perfectly real stuck to a tall metal box. Curious, she pulled away from the window to grab the door handle, gently turning it to open with ease. Again, her heart jumped into her throat as she nervously slid into the house.

Once the door closed behind her, a bright light flicked on without her input, blinding her with a flash. She shielded her eyes and nearly hopped out in panic, but she neither heard nor smelled another presence, so she stayed in place as her eyes reverted to daytime mode, even if that did make her feel a little woozy, a gentle migraine throbbing in her skull. When her eyes finally adjust, she was surprised to see the things that were there, starting with the glass bulb that was illuminating the room. She could sense electricity flowing through it, rather than the fire that usually ignited lanterns to keep the streets alight at night.

She walked over to the metal box and stood up on her toes to get a better look at the image on its side. In it, a portrait of Satsierra and Keran on a pier, smiling and trying to climb over one another. The image was on a piece of paper, but as she suspected it wasn't painted or drawn, it looked like a scene had been stolen from real life and emulated on a piece of paper! A gentle gasp caught in her throat as she touched it, genuinely convinced that it would jump out at her with how real it looked.

When it didn't do anything, she ignored it and moved on. Creepy as the portrait was, she was more curious about this metal box. It was humming a steady drone, and she could feel it vibrating against her touch when she laid her palm against the cool metal. There was a handle on the front, so she tentatively gave it a gentle tug to open the box, a slit of orange light emanating from within followed by a blast of cold air on her face.

Panicked and shocked by the temperature, she quickly slammed the lid shut and blinked. It felt like she'd been blasted with frost breath! Still, she was curious so she opened it again, this time keeping the lid open so she could see what was inside.

Food. Fruits, Vegetables, a plate of meat, and some sauces in containers were all in this cold metal box. The steak was sitting there, completely safe and healthy rather than being green and gross like it would have been if left out. No maggots, no bad smell, just cherry pink steaks on a plate. She reached out to touch, finding it to be spongy yet firm, as a steak should be. As she was contemplating enjoying a meal out of it with the aid of some magic fire, she heard a deep thud outside the door of the house, making her jump and glance around as the door to the cold metal box closed.

Part of her wanted to ask who was there, but she knew that since she was in the wrong, invading the privacy of what was presumably the most powerful beings in all of Dalon, she instead crept backwards away from the door, crouching onto all fours and disappearing under the nearest bed with the blankets draped over her snout. Her eyes remained trained on the front of the room when she realized the futility of her hiding spot; the light was still on, if someone was there, she'd be caught immediately.

She tried to gulp down a scream, stifling it into a whimper as the door clicked and swung open. Illuminated by the electric light, a brown and cream colored naga poked their head into the room, flicking their tongue as she slithered forward, each meter of her body sliding along the floor while using the door frame for leverage.

"Oh, little snack, little sssnack, where are you?" The naga chanted at Saestal, her massive and powerful looking neck swinging her head from side to side in between flicks of the tongue. Her muscles rippled underneath her scales as she moved, massive form slithering bit by bit until every bit of her body was coiled up in the middle of the room.

Saestal knew with utter certainty that there was no way she'd be able to get out of this. Snakes were fast, her entire body was blocking the path to the door, and that tongue could easily find her through the scent of fear. The only thing she could possibly do to appeal to this naga was to use her charisma, maybe talk herself out of it.

"Alright, alright!" She muttered as she climbed out from under the bed, knees scuffling on the area rug on the floor. "You caught me, I'm sorry." She got to her feet and raised her hands in a universal show of submission, accepting defeat. However, once she was standing next to the massive snake, she was beginning to see the error in her ways. The naga before her was literally almost as thick as Saestal was tall; she'd be little more than a snack to this beast.

She gulped and tensed her jaw as she whimpered again, eyes growing wide as she contemplated her poor decision. As she pondered, she could feel the thick tip of the naga's tail sliding up around her, coiling her midsection and squeezing her chest while the tip rubbed against her chin, holding her up as the powerful muscles tightened around her.

"I did catch you, didn't I?" The naga hissed at her, body shifting to lean inward, maw opening and saliva dripping off her lips.

Saestal closed her eyes and braced for the snake to make a meal out of her when she remembered Satsierra. "Your friend, Satsierra sent me! Gave me a map! Don't eat me!" She cried out as a single drop of saliva splashed on her snout.

Instantly, the naga pulled back and cocked her head to the side, tongue flicking in curiosity.

"That's enough, Leera. Leave the poor girl alone." A more powerful voice came from outside. Both Saestal and the naga Leera glanced back to see a black and white gryphon standing tall in the door way. "She's telling the truth."

Leera flicked her tongue again, this time the forked tip barely missing Saestal's muzzle. "I know, but I wanted to ssscare her more!" She whined, tail loosening and sliding off the kobold's form.

She gasped and took in a long, deep breath once the coils of the naga's tail released her, falling to the ground on both knees as she clutched her chest. "So you weren't... going to...eat me?" She choked out in between ragged breaths.

"Skies above no. You're not worth the nutrients your little body would offer me. Besides, if Satsierra sent you, then there must have been a reason. Come, on, skitter your little feet out of here." Leera instructed before sliding out of the door and disappearing off to the side, leaving Saestal alone to meet the powerful looking gryphon drake.

Though she felt like she dodged a bullet, she wasn't sure she was out of the fire yet.

The gryphon clicked his beak and growled a bit as he turned to guide her away from the house. "You and I, we have a lot to talk about." He said with a gruff inflection.

Saestal nodded excitedly. "Yeah, totally! You're Ceylon, right? Godfather of Transformation? One of the original creators of new magic! I want to hear your story, I want to know how you became so powerful! Tell me as much as you can!"

Again, he clicked his beak and shook his head. "Yes, I am Ceylon, but I can't tell you any of that. You know how they say in stories, 'if I told you I'd have to kill you'? Well, that applies here. If I told you the intimate details of how I got where I am, how we got here, then I would have to kill you.

Behind them, Leera slithered away in the other direction towards the building that was labeled with her name. She didn't seem to want anything to do with Saestal unless Saestal was going to be a little snack for her.

"You don't have to kill me, sir. I want knowledge, same as you! There's a lot I could do to prove my value! I could be a devout follower! A guide for those looking to follow you! I make a great assistant, you know! Though I normally prefer to learn on my own, I am in fact quite open minded and would absorb any information you could offer me!" She was hopping along beside the gryphon, barely able to keep up with the larger quadruped's pace. Of course, she was quite excited, having met Satsierra, Ceylon, and Leera all within one full day's time; the thought of potentially training with them and learning their ways made her even more excited.

Even if it was clear that Ceylon had no interest in taking her on as an apprentice.

"I don't have to, no. However, ask yourself why nobody ever succeeds or returns from a trip here? The mountain that protects this settlement is incredibly hard to scale, but plenty of adventurers try the trip every year, and some of them make it. They can't be allowed to let the world know of what they saw here. Such a revelation would ruin us, destroy the religions of the world, and then we'd need to find a new place to live when not intermingling with the people of Dalon." He kept walking along the pathway that eventually went out over the shore in a boardwalk, still guiding Saestal away from the little village.

That was certainly a lot to think about, but Saestal was too caught up in her own self improvement to care about what others before her had done or had done to them. What mattered to her was what she would do. "Well that's fine, I'm not like them. I'm not going to say anything, I want to keep this knowledge to myself. You said in the room there that you knew I was telling the truth about Satsierra, so look into my mind now and know that I'm telling you the truth." She leaned into him and stared into his blue eyes, as if she was offering her thoughts to him to scan.

Ceylon leaned away and raised one eyebrow. "You certainly are a tenacious one, aren't you?" He mused, before gently tapping her shoulder with a balled up talon.

"I have to be. When you're around as long as I have been, you gotta be tenacious. Also gotta be cautious, since everything wants me dead, it seems. You, your snake lady, people of the world. I just want some sort of way to protect myself, be it through magic or whatever. I don't plan on dying any time soon, and I have no idea when my body plans on weakening and growing old." She dodged between his front legs to wrap a hand around each one, her head rubbing up against his chest plumage. "So can you do that for me? Give me some sort of enchantment or teach me how to do it myself? I'm a good student, you know."

"Sigh. Look, Saestal, I'm sure you're a great student, and I can tell you have vast innate skills - probably the reason you live as long as you do - but I can't teach you. I have to take you away, and I have to either kill you or wipe your memory of this place. Kind of a shame, too, since you did a lot of work to get here." Ceylon was explaining as they peeled away from the settlement, heading towards the same mountain range in the south she came from.

"Aw, come on burd. I'm sure I can think of something to make me useful, some way I can earn your tutelage." She nuzzled in against the feathers of Ceylon's front leg, a rumbling churr vibrating her chest. She was trying her best to maintain a sense of excitement, to keep her spirits high, but it was starting to fail the more Ceylon guided her back to the path she came from. In a last-ditch effort, she glanced back between his hind legs and reached out, cradling his sheath. "Or, you know, I could earn it this way."

Ceylon twitched and stepped away from her, not sure how to respond to such a forward and aggressive sexual advancement. He clicked his beak again before allowing his stern look to melt into a smile. "Dammit, I can't say no to that kind of enthusiasm." He laughed a bit, sticking his tongue out. "Truth be told, if Satsierra sent you here by giving you a map, it's because they wanted you here; we just needed to test you. I trust Sats, and though I can't help you gain immortality, I'd be happy to help you with your quest to gain skill and power. Just, you really, really have to keep it to yourself. Only a few each year get the privilege to stay here and not be sent home with a scrambled mind." He extending his wing out to her, wrapping the tip around her back to pull her in close.

She squeaked a bit as her eye twitched in excitement. The little kobold couldn't focus on what was in front of her, since her eyes were darting around like she was dreaming. This was a dream, right? No, she could feel his wing on her shoulder, he was coaxing her into a hug. This was real, and she'd somehow wormed her way into the company of the Gods, to be Ceylon's apprentice. Well, that's how she heard it, anyway. "So, I get to train under you?" Her voice was tight and squeaky, tapering off into a whimper.

The gryph continued to pull her in closer with his wing, eventually mashing her cheek to his shoulder. "You could look at it that way. I prefer to see it as an investment in respect and discretion. But yes, I'm happy to take you on as an underling in order to help you widen your skills. I can sense a high concentration of magic potential in you and it would be unethical to not help you attain that."

Saestal continued to purr and rub against him, her soft scales tickled just right by his soft plumage. Deep down inside, she still felt this was too surreal to be true, so she decided to test what she could do. For all she knew, Ceylon was using his incomparable skill to plant illusions in her mind and she was still down at the windmill; Satsierra did it when giving her the map, so why couldn't Ceylon do it? In an effort to test this theory of hers, she slid backwards one step at a time, cradling his chest in her fingertips before finally coming to rest with her cheek nestled in against his inner thigh, bulging sheath against her other cheek.

He grunted a bit, shuffling his hind legs to widen his stance as he peeked down between his front legs. "What are you doing?" He asked. His tone was confused and uncomfortable, but his body language begged for more as his tail raised and his hind legs parted.

She kept her fingers gently trailing down over his belly to finally reach the end of his meaty sheath. "Oh, you know, just giving you a proper thanks for your kindness and generosity. I don't imagine money has any meaning to you or I'd give you some coin. No, I think this is...." She paused to pull her satchel off her shoulder, tossing it and the scroll to the side. "...far more appropriate." She chuckled a bit and bit at his belly between his sheath and inner thigh.

Ceylon clamped his beak shut, still shuffling in place to get a more comfortable position. He spread his wings a bit, barely unfolded from his torso in excitement as his feather tips shook. "You really don't have to do that, Saestal." He cautioned. The gryphon did seem a little uncomfortable, but he certainly wasn't stopping her from whatever it was she planned.

"I don't have to, no, but that doesn't mean I don't like it. Trust me, I can handle it, and I like it. Don't be such a prude." She chirped up at him and eagerly took off her ragged shirt and loincloth, tossing them both in a pile next to her satchel. "So stop being so reserved and have a go."

There was a moment of pause in Ceylon's eyes as he focused on the eager kobold between his legs. "You know, you don't have to do this to me just because this is how you are used to paying your hired muscle. Your development as a mage is reward enough for me." Though he spoke of honor and sincere hopes, his body continued to betray his nobility, with gentle twitches and hip thrusts to accompany every light touch of her delicate fingertips.

Saestal smiled and chirped again, this time turning to nuzzle her snout against his sheath, tongue slipping out to taste the moist end of it. "Well, I still want to. Climbing that mountain was quite a task and I feel like I deserve a little release; if that means helping you out, then so be it. Accept it. Enjoy it. And fuck me like the drake you are." She leaned in and bit at the side of his bulge, gently enough to make him buck without getting angry.

"If you say so, but given your tiny size, don't be surprised if you're sore." Ceylon cautioned her, a tensed up muscle coaxing the tip of his member from its confines to stab at her tongue and lips.

She gulped heavily, beginning to wonder if maybe this test of realism was a good idea or not. Now, she could feel his warmth and taste his bitter fluids, the scent of his musk billowing up into her nostrils. If it was an illusion, then it was a very, very good one. Her little mage-heart was aflutter with excitement, her mind drifting to a dozen scenarios - one in which had her gaining magic prowess by absorbing it through his cum. Silly, but given what a potion can do, she wanted to see what such powerful seed could do to grow in her.

The little kobold shifted around until she was directly underneath him, her open maw gaped just below his cock tip to catch any and all leaks that may have come. Her tongue was out far, nearly cradling the underside of his member as her hands reached up to gently massage either side of his belly, peeling the sheath back to expose more of his dark-fleshed member. "Come on, don't be shy." She coaxed, leaning in closer to let her tongue prod at the tip, the barbs catching on her; at first she seemed concerned about that anatomical feature, but then it excited her.

Ceylon grunted a bit and lifted one talon up, gently placing it on her lower back to hold her in place. He chirped back at her and brought his beak down to prod at her shoulders and neck. "Well, if you insist on being so forward, no point in wasting a good opportunity. Okay, you do what you need to do, but then I'm taking you to our den in the mountains to teach you more. Properly. Like mature-"

He was cut off mid sentence as she wrapped her lips around his cock tip, tongue massaging its underside as she sucked gently. Instantly, he felt a familiar twitch in his lower spine urging him to buck forth, stabbing at the back of her throat as her lips peeled more of his sheath away from his member. She gave a suckle as she closed her eyes, tongue waving over the ribbed shaft between barbed tip and the knot that was still smothered in sheath skin.

Eager for more, she grabbed at the base of his length and pulled the rest of the sheath back over the knot, the opening distending to slide over all six lobes with one wet motion. Once she saw the opportunity, she wrapped her fingers around the neck of his member, palm cradling either of the knot bulges on the underside, tongue still lapping at its length.

"You've done this before, haven't you?" Ceylon grunted at her, his tail lifting high and back arching as he spewed one burst of fluid into her mouth after another. Not cum, but precum. As it turns out, Gryphons produce a lot of that, similar to canines.

She nodded eagerly, her maw open wide as she tried to swallow, the motions of her undulating throat muscles sucking the barbed tip into her gullet, forming a bulge in her neck. Another round of precum made her gag, so she pulled away with a series of powerful coughs, hacking up bits of fluid all over and around the ground between his hind legs. She leaned over, but held his member up high above her. "Wow, little excited, aren't we?" She complimented before getting back up to wrap her lips around the tip.

Ceylon bucked again, this time with enough force to knock her off her feet, making her land on her rump. He laughed a bit at her lack of balance before stepping back, playing a single talon on her shoulder to pin her down. His steely blue eyes pierced her gaze as he smiled. "You know, Saestal, I don't mean to pry that the secrets in your mind, but I can feel your excitement, and if you're so into it, then I hope you can handle a creature my size."

Saestal stared back at him, eyes glinting in excitement. "Kyril is about the same size as you and he fucks me daily. I think I can handle you. Bring it on." She stuck her tongue out and grinned, still pinned to the ground.

He leaned in closer, putting more of his weight on her tiny form as he curled his talons into her shoulder. "You like it rough, don't you?" He teased, slowly bending his hind legs so that his belly was touching the ground, glistening black cock resting on her lower belly, the copious fluids moistening her pussy and darkening her scales between her legs. He gave a gentle bucking motion, rubbing the length of his cock between her inner thighs, the bulge of his un-inflated knot rubbing against her lips.

She gasped a bit and reached down with both hands to grab at his member, bucking up against the hot flesh of his throbbing knot, each lobe pressing out against her inner thighs as more of his precum splashed out over her belly. His talon was still firm on her shoulder, but that didn't stop her from using her legs to brace herself against his knees, tail curling under her rump to angle herself up higher. She wanted that cock inside her, and she was willing to adjust her position to make it happen. Like Ceylon, she curled her toe claws to wrap around his thighs, gripping tight as she pulled her rump up and tensed her tail to prop her hindquarters up, the soft flesh of her lower belly and around her pussy twitching with anticipation.

The gryph clicked his beak a few times before angling his back properly, sliding backwards over her belly to allow his barbed tip to rest between her lips. He gave a gentle thrust, sliding it up and down to caress her sex with the ribs of his shaft, but not going in, another tensing of his pelvic muscles coaxing a spurt of precum all over her, trails of it trickling down over her hips to land in the grass.

"Oh, don't be such a tease, I'm already worked up down here!" She laughed, wrapping thumb and forefinger around his shaft to force it downward. With a sudden lurch and a pop she could feel his barbs stab at her inner lips, then find the opening to her depths, the end of it pulsing as the barbs splayed out to catch her flesh. "Oooohmnmn!" She moaned as her entire body writhed in place, toes curling and tail twitching.

"There we go." Ceylon cooed at her, his voice reverberating through the both of them. A deep rumble started rocking his torso as he purred and stared at her. Before she could react, he leaned down to bite at her neck, beak wrapping around her shoulders as the curved tip gripped her spine. With this extra leverage, he leaned into her and plunged his cock deep into her with one violent thrust, the girth of it stretching her wide and distending lips around its thickness. His knot pressed hard against her opening, threatening to force itself in alongside the rest of its length.

Saestal clawed at his belly as best she could, arms weak and fingers idly gripping at his fur and feathers as she felt his member slide into her. She pushed back down as hard as she was able, heels hooking around his legs for extra leverage, fighting against the bulge of his knot. She could feel the burn and the friction of his member pressing against her; she knew it was a bad idea, but she wanted more, for she was insatiable. Her tiny reptilian body snaked its way in waves, grinding down against his knot as she did her best to relax, allowing the bulge to squeeze into her.

Ceylon bit down harder, the tip of his beak puncturing the back of her neck as he jerked his hips again, the pulsing lobes of his knot relaxing just enough to squeeze between her pelvic bones, parting her lips and stretching her flesh.

She let out a long, drawn out whimper as she closed her eyes, biting her lip. She loved the sensation of his knot filling her, the first two lobes slipping between her lips to rest heavy and thick within her sex. The pressure was immense, widening her pussy beyond what it was used to. She was right, Kyril was thicker than Ceylon's shaft, but the knot was a whole different magnitude of thickness. The throbbing bulges were slowly growing inside her, expanding her opening as she felt the barbs splay out and capture the soft flesh of her canal.

Surprisingly, she absolutely adored the sensation of the tiny pricks tickling her from within, a special but sharp pleasure that bubbled up from deep within her. Though she couldn't look down between them to see it, she could feel the walls of her belly bulging to accommodate his stabbing tip. She loved it rough, and was prone to using any item she could find to fill herself, so his aggressive thrusts weren't painful, but the pressure of that knot remained a discomforting obstacle to overcome.

Saestal's maw was gaped open, drool trickling over the crook of her lips while her tong hanged out the end; she was panting hard, body twitching and tail flailing about behind her to match each and every one of Ceylon's pelvic thrusts. She curled her toes and bent her knees for even more leverage, relaxing her inner thighs as best she could.

With one slow, but powerful lurching sensation she felt two more of his lobes burst into her with a gooey popping sound, the flesh of her pussy lips distending down towards her tail to make room for more. As soon as the second set of lobes started to glide in, she felt the remaining two pop in next to them, the pressure of her tensed muscles against bulging knot paired with his own powerful thrusts sucking every bit of the member into her as her lips closed behind the knot, wrapping tight against its underside.

She gasped loudly as she buried her claws in his chest, idly grasping at his feathers and fur as the pressure mounted within her. The knot wasn't fully formed yet, and every second that passed with it smothered in her tender, quivering walls coaxed another throb of his heart and an inflation of the knot. Before long, he was locked into her, the girth of his thickest bulges resting heavily inside her pelvic bone. The tip of his cock was pumping round after round of precum deep within her, the size of it shifting her reproductive system around to handle its length.

The bulge was mostly gone now, at least the one of his cock tip poking against her abdomen, resulting in a more flat and wide throbbing mass of his knot. She crossed both hands over her belly to squeeze at it, pressing her flesh to his as she grinded her hips down on him. Saestal wanted his seed, all of it. Though her mind wasn't in the right place, she still held that thought that she could absorb some of his skill and magic ability through touch, maybe to have it infused into her through her womb. That would work, right?

"Y-you okay?" Ceylon asked as he gently peeled his beak from her neck and shoulders, a single drip of blood splatting on the ground next to her head. Every few seconds, he twitched his body and arched his back, another pulse of pressure growing inside her and lodging him deeper within her pussy. His tail flicked up and down, a pump to surge more and more of his essence into her. Once he was good and tied, he pulled away, tugging gently until he realized his talon was still on her shoulder, holding her down.

Saestal chattered her teeth a bit, whimpering and blubbering nonsense as she continued to writhe on the ground, her tail twitching beneath her. She finally un-hooked her heels from his legs and tried to fall flat, only to have his knot pull her up so that she was actually dangling, swinging between his hind legs. Without anything else to do and no freedom to move, she tried to wrap her legs around his belly as though she was riding him upside down. It didn't work, due to their size difference.

He stood straight up, dragging her backwards so that only her head and shouldrs were touching the ground between his hind legs. Once he saw her predicament, he gave a hearty chuckle. "Oh, little Saestal, sorry about that."

She remained upside down with legs spread wide, arms crossed over her chest with a look on her face that told the gryphon how not amused she was. Still, the sensation of his knot tugging on her pussy was quite pleasant to the little kobold, so she didn't complain. "Could you...maybe help me out a bit here?" She asked, faking sadness in between twitches of smile and a rolling of her eyes in pleasure.

Ceylon flopped to the side, yanking her down with her and pinning her ankle next to his belly until he rolled completely onto his back with all four legs up and folded next to his torso. His tail remained out behind him and both wings spread wide for balance as was tugged onto his belly, riding him cowgirl style. "Is this better for you?" He asked, a devious grin curling the side of his beak.

Saestal moaned and nodded into his chest fur, gripping at it with both hands as she bobbed back and forth against his knot. It didn't slide in and out of her, since it was tied so tight, but it did shift a bit and tug on her pussy lips, coaxing a special type of pleasure through her torso. She kept her knees up on either side of him for ease and comfort, ankles resting on his inner thighs with toe claws tickling his furred balls.

Behind her, she had her tail gently waving back and forth, the tip idly curling around the base of his tail before pooling some of their collective juices and using it to penetrate his rump. She wasn't even sure if he liked that, but her hormone-addled mind didn't care - she had a tail, he had a hole, it just made sense. Luckily, he tensed up for only a moment, rump squeezing tight around her tail tip before loosening just enough to let it slide deeper. "You like that, do you gryph? Told you I could be of use." She winked up at him, her body twitching against the pulses of his engorged knot. With her lying down on her belly, she could feel the added pressure squeezing his member within her.

"I do, yeah. Of course, you do realize that you're stuck here, right?" He leaned down, craning his neck to preen at her cheek and neck scales, having already licked the tiny drop of blood from the hook at the end.

She moaned and nestled into his chest plumage. "I really don't mind. I like it here. It is a little chilly in the mountains, but as a magic user, I'm sure I can conjure up a flame with ease." She waggled her hips a bit to feel the barbed tip of his cock sloshing around inside her, tickling her as more sticky fluid filled her depths.

But Ceylon grabbed her by the shoulders and made her look him in the eye. "No, I mean we own you. You're our property for as long as you're here, and if you chose to leave before I am confident you won't spread the gospel of our existence, then you won't remember any of your trip here. As long as you are my student, you are also my pet."

Saestal blinked rapidly, not sure how to handle that at first. She was submissive to nobody, yet Ceylon's power and promises of shared knowledge made her willing to do pretty much anything. Her desire for skill and power mixed with her horny mindset made her nod excitedly. "I am okay with this, just, don't stop, okay?" She pushed down even harder than before, grinding her rump cheeks against his sheath tip while her tail curled in his rump as an anchor. She felt his knot surge and shift inside her, a single spurt of his gooey cum spurting from the crook in her pussy lips to splat all over his belly.

She reached down between her legs to catch some of the mixed nectar, using it to rub her tiny clit that was nestled between her scaled lips, then bringing her fingers up to her mouth to taste it.

"Also, you better get comfortable, because Gryphons don't untie from one another until morning." He leaned back and rested his head on a lump of grass, his front talon sliding down her side to poke at her hips, the other one massaging the base of her tail.

Despite the implications of that, Saestal didn't mind. Morning was only a few hours away, and she truly was enjoying the fulfilling sensation of gryphon seed pumping into her. Every few seconds, another tiny eruption of hot semen splashed against her walls, bloating her and filling her with more of his essence. The more the merrier, and at least in theory the stronger the bond and transference of power.

While together, they talked more about their plans, expectations, and hopes. Saestal told Ceylon about her hopes to absorb power through his seed, and he actually seemed shocked at that confession, mostly because he didn't think others would realize that was possible. It wouldn't turn her into a goddess herself, but it would give her a surge of power for a while, anyway.

In fact, the only reason he allowed her to take advantage of him was that he knew that was the case, and was planning on luring her into allowing him to do that anyway. They got a laugh out of that, too, since Ceylon was getting quite bored with protecting the Cradle of Dalon with Leera and Satsierra, and that it was nice to have a project to keep him busy.

Saestal shared her stories of the past, the history she had with Kyril, and the reasons for her everlasting quest for immortality. She admitted her fear for her life, and how the feelings got stronger every year she survived. Kobolds had amazingly long life spans, but she'd never heard of any dying from natural causes or 'old age'. Every one of her kind she knew died from hunters, bandits, or war. She was somewhere between 200 and 300 years old, and she felt she had no signs of aging.

Ceylon was hesitant to share some information, but confirmed that, yes, the high concentration of ademane in her system was what gave her such skills and greatly elongated her life. Though she wasn't immortal, she could live 700-1000 years, if she didn't get herself killed.

The revelation that she was actually still pretty young in the overall scheme of things made her grow even more excited. When Ceylon told her about all the curative spells he had at his disposal, she wanted to really get rough with him, his knot still firmly lodged inside her all the while.

When the sun started to rise, she turned around and tried to pull off his member, eager to start her training. To her surprise, the knot popped out with relative ease, alongside an absolute torrent of cum that exploded all over her balls, rump, and tail. When he rolled to all fours, she rolled with him, not ready to have his hot flesh escape her depths. She smiled and stood up on her hind legs, tail wrapped around his leg as he tried to push her off his length.

"Stoppit!" She protested, giggling all the while.

But it was no use, he was physically much stronger than she was, so he pulled away from her - leaving her cunt gaped wide and drooling seed and fluid everywhere. When she fell to her chest, rump up and tail lifted, he tended to her swollen lips, lapping out every bit of his essence he could, tongue diving deep inside to clean her out.

"Come on, get on my back, we have work to do." He said once he was finished, eagerly licking his beak clean. He turned and lowered his body so she could mount him, much like he'd mounted her.

They had a lot of work to do together, and Saestal was optimistic for their continued partnership.